Constellations
by zestycrouton
Summary: "How far did one have to sail to leave even the stars behind?" A moment between a pirate and a hero. Post-WW/Pre-PH. Part of the ongoing 'Timeline' mini-series.


_OK, so... here's the thing._

 _Years ago, I had the somewhat cliched idea of writing a one-shot collection story revolving around my head-canon of the Link and Zelda dynamic in every video game. I.E. which ones they get together in, which ones they don't, which ones they're just strangers, etc. There would be one entry for every game that involves Link and Zelda, and I was going to start it with a one-shot from Skyward Sword, linking all of the chapters together with the understanding that they're all reincarnations of the duo from SS and watching how their different lives play out in comparison to one another._

 _I had a lot of fun writing 'I'll Walk With You', which had a similar format just focusing entirely on BotW, however when I looked back on my outline for this story (which was called 'Timeline'), I decided ultimately that, while there were chapters that were redeemable, most of it I wasn't too interested in writing. At least, right now. But at the same time, I didn't see any point in letting this and the other chapters rot away in my documents folder._

 _Long story short: I'm posting this as a stand-alone one-shot, taken from my unpublished 'Timeline' story. This would have been the Wind Waker addition. The other would-be chapters are going to be posted separately as stand-alone stories as well, however I will be linking them together under the 'Timeline' moniker as a way of keeping the short stories together in a 'series' without actually placing them in one story. That way, I can add new content to this 'Timeline' sub-series without worrying about random hiatuses ruining my reader's lives. If you like this story, feel free to check my profile for any other additions that have been added since the time of this posting._

 _So yeah. OK. Whatever. Read on._

* * *

 _ **Timeline**_

 **-The Wind Waker-**

 **Constellations**

Few things in life were more breath-taking than the night sky.

From his spot atop the crow's nest of Tetra's pirate ship, way out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to see in any direction other than miles and miles of endless waves, Link felt like he was the king of the world. The endless expanse of the heavens twinkled above him, comforting and inviting, while the ghostly light of the moon cast dappled shadows from the sails writhing in intoxicating patterns across the deck below.

Gonzo manned the helm tonight, the only other human awake other than himself, and occasional snippets of the barrel-chested man's deep, almost eerie humming would reach up to him through the creaking of the ship and rolling of the waves. In the darkness, it sounded like the call of a monster, crying out into the endless night.

He had no idea what the hour was. It was late, though, that much was certain. Easily well past midnight. Yet in spite of the fact that the corners of his eyes itched with tiredness, he remained awake, sprawled out lazily in the crow's nest, gazing in silent wonder at the sky.

Though they were far from his native seas, he could still see some of the old, familiar constellations he'd grown up with. There were the Dwarven Blacksmiths, their hammers poised to strike; and there, to the north, the Cane of Somaria, its crook forever pointing north; and there, the three stars that represented the Golden Goddesses, Din, Nayru, and Farore… Every child on the Great Sea knew those three. They twinkled in a triangle, red, blue, and green. Not for the first time, he wondered why it was that some stars were different colors than others.

Most of the familiar patterns were gone, however. He couldn't see the Fallen Goddess anywhere, nor the Eye of Truth, or the Minish Cap. The thought made him feel sad and a little lonely. He used to stay up on summer nights with Aryll in their tower and contemplate those familiar constellations through her telescope; now, even that comforting reminder of home was lost to him. How far did one have to sail to leave even the stars behind?

Things were so different now. The islands he had come to know so well were now far behind him. Nearly a full year had passed since he'd joined Tetra's pirate crew and set off in search of the land that would become New Hyrule. He missed his sister and his grandmother dearly, and yet…

A new sound reached his ears; soft thuds on wood, a familiar creaking, gentle vibrations steadily growing stronger…

Someone was scaling the ladder.

Link sat up in a flash, a little anxious, quickly attempting to arrange his features to look like he'd been dutifully minding his job as look-out lest Gonzo find him slacking off again. The last thing he needed was to give Tetra's brawny second-in-command any further reasons to glower at him.

A head popped into view, and Link felt his eyebrows raise in surprise. Where he'd expected the surly, grizzled face of an older male, he instead found himself meeting the familiar blue gaze of a slight, elfin female.

It was Tetra, her brows furrowed in concentration, the corner of a cushion clenched tightly between her teeth as she climbed up to reach him. Her hair was, for once, unbound, and it undulated in the breeze in a distracting manner. Caught under the light of the moon, her sun-kissed golden strands seemed haunting and ethereal, like a vision from another world.

"Captain." Link said, almost more of a question than a greeting. It was late, and she had no business up here that he knew of. She ought to have been asleep.

She jerked her head, flinging the cushion up into the basket beside him before spitting out a hasty, "Gimme your hand."

Link obeyed without thinking, like any loyal crewman should, taking the girl's calloused hand in his own and hauling her up and into the crow's nest beside him. The space was small, but thankfully so were they, at least relative to the rest of Tetra's pirate crew, and after a moment of awkward repositionings, muffled curses and a few banged elbows, the two teens settled down in relative comfort, side-by-side.

He felt discomfited, which was unusual in and of itself. In spite of the fact that Tetra was the captain and Link a part of her crew, he'd always felt perfectly at ease speaking with her. This probably had to do with the fact that the two were of age, but the situation with Ganondorf and the flooding of Hyrule had formed a unique connection between the two that made him feel close to her even if she was technically his commanding officer.

That being said, moments where he and Tetra were alone together were out of the ordinary, especially in so intimate a setting. The rest of her crew, half hardened sea dogs, half overprotective doting uncles, had taken to Link reasonably well yet had never seemed to be comfortable leaving him and their captain alone together. Link had never really minded, and likely would have never noticed himself had Tetra not commented sarcastically on more than one occasion about crew members performing 'unnecessary chaperone duty'.

"So what brings you up here so late, Captain?" He found himself asking if only to cut the tension and return to the easy back-and-forth the two usually enjoyed.

"Couldn't sleep." She muttered, placing her cushion behind her back as she reclined beside him, sticking her feet up on the opposite railing. Her eyes were closed, and in the moonlight her skin seemed paler than usual, calling to mind images of the secret princess who slept within the impetuous pirate. She was dressed in her night clothes, a pair of loose-fitting, voluminous trousers and a band of cloth tied snuggly around her breasts.

"So instead you left your comfortable mattress and decided to climb all the way up to the crow's nest." Link finished, an ironic tint to his tone.

"Shaddap." She mumbled, lazily lifting her arms over her head so that her elbows hooked over the edge of the lookout behind her, her hands dangling into the open air, her face half-hidden in her bicep. "It gets stuffy in my cabin…"

Link smiled but chose not to comment on that. Rare were the moments when Tetra allowed anything other than her gruff pirate exterior to show through, and while it was probably only because she was half-asleep, the sight of her acting like a normal teenage girl filled him with an endearing sort of warmth.

If she knew the direction his thoughts were going, she'd have kicked him. The thought made his smile turn rueful, and he turned away, his eyes scanning the horizon line for obstacles he knew weren't there.

For the next few minutes, silence reigned over the crow's nest again, save for the familiar creaking of the ship, the howl of the wind, and his captain's gentle breathing.

Tetra's state of near-undress barely registered in Link's mind at all. Though she was admittedly very pretty, he'd grown up on an island and was used to people running around half-naked at all hours of the day. That being said, he found his eyes being drawn away from the darkened horizon more frequently than he was used to, returning again and again to his companion, watching her hair as it swayed in the breeze or the way her toes wiggled occasionally as though trying to tickle the stars overhead.

Also, her abs. He definitely had some sort of perverse fascination with her abs.

To his utter mortification, just as he was in the middle of stealing another peek at the way her hair curled over her pointed ear, marveling at how different she seemed in the moonlight, her eyes opened and she caught him staring at her. His face burned as he jerked his gaze away, grateful for the cover of darkness that hid the blush on his cheeks.

"What?" She asked, just as blunt as ever.

"Nothing." He replied, a little too quickly, but to his immense surprise, she didn't pursue it, instead twisting around somewhat so she was facing him more directly, a curious expression on her face.

"Why're you sitting up so straight?"

Link stared at her, nonplussed.

"Um… I'm on lookout duty. I'm supposed to be keeping watch-"

Tetra cut him off short with a derisive snort.

"Keeping watch for what? We're in the middle of the open ocean, there's nothing around us for miles. It's not like we're going to run aground. And if a monster attacks, it'll be coming from underneath us. You won't be doing much good there."

Link gaped, completely dumbfounded. Sure, he saw where she was coming from, and he probably didn't need to keep his gaze glued to the horizon during the entirety of his shift, at least not when the ship was this far away from land, but… she was the captain! She wasn't supposed to be encouraging him to slack off!

When he didn't react, her expression fell into one of annoyance.

"Oh, come on. Don't act like you weren't laying down before you heard me coming."

Link winced, then sighed, giving in to his captain's will and adjusting his position so he could lay back down beside her, leaning his shoulders against the wall of the crow's nest just as she was.

Because of how small the platform was, and with the main mast of the ship running straight up through the middle, there wasn't a whole lot of space for the two teens to lay. As it was, their shoulders were pressed together, their bodies lying uncomfortably twisted on opposite sides of the mast, their knees bent to make room for their feet.

It was cramped and uncomfortable, but there was something exhilarating about it, Link found. It was the sort of rush he used to get when he knew he was breaking one of Granny's rules; though, as captain, Tetra could break almost any rule she wanted to, so that line of thought didn't make much sense. Regardless, in an odd moment of childishness, he found himself exchanging teasing grins under the cover of darkness with his captain.

Actually, this had become something of a habit for Tetra. That is, the way that she got him to shirk typical protocol in favor of whatever she wanted at the moment. He put up with it both because she was the captain and he had to do whatever she said, but also because she was Tetra and her mischievousness was infectious.

There were times where he almost felt guilty, particularly when the result of Tetra's favoritism was Niko getting the short end of the stick yet again, so he made it a point to go out of his way to help the other members of the crew whenever possible, hence why he was on lookout duty tonight instead of Zuko.

The truth, though, was that the other members of the crew hardly seemed to care. They took it all in stride, as though everything Link had done to rescue their captain had earned him special privileges of sorts.

He'd been absorbed into the crew so seamlessly that at times he still couldn't wrap his brain around it. He fit in like a glove, like he'd always been a part of them. And though sometimes Niko still made the occasional remark about how Link really ought to be the new swabbie in his place, and though he'd sometimes turn away from a conversation with Tetra to find Gonzo glowering jealously in his direction, he felt at home here. He still missed Outset and his grandmother and sister dearly, but he wasn't alone. He had friends, people he could rely on, a family. And he needed that.

As his thoughts turned towards the nature of homes and what it meant to belong, his gaze once more locked on the stars, his companion began shuffling around again, searching in vain for a comfortable position.

A moment later, she broke the silence.

"You miss it, don't you?"

He quirked an eyebrow and she made an off-handed gesture with her hand.

"Outset, I mean. Your village. Your family."

Link nodded slowly. Where had that come from? Could she read his mind?!

"Of course I do. That's normal, right? But I mean… I know this is where I'm supposed to be right now. And I'm happy."

She smiled at him; not a smirk, an actual smile. Something in his belly flip-flopped.

"Well, that's good. I don't know what we'd do if we lost you; you're a better cook than Niko or Zuko."

Remembering the sunken-eyed sailor's attempt at what he called 'Fish Bone Gumbo' the other night, both of them grimaced, then caught each other's expressions and burst into simultaneous laughter.

After they had quietened down somewhat, Link turned to his captain, her face still stretched out by her grin, and asked, "So why bring up my home?"

She shrugged, still struggling to find a comfortable way to lay.

"I dunno. You seemed down the last couple of days. I figured it had to be something pathetic like that."

He opened his mouth to jokingly ask when she'd decided to become the crew's mother when she cut him off with another question.

"So, what do you do up here to pass the time?"

Link shrugged, adjusting to the change in topic without a second thought. "I dunno. Stargaze?"

She blinked, and he half-expected her to tease him about it, but to his surprise, she chose instead to continue the conversation.

"Which constellation's your favorite?"

"Hmm…" Link replied, letting his gaze sweep the pantheon of lights above him as he considered her question as seriously as he could manage. Aryll would have had about twenty different answers all lined up for her, but for him…

"I'm not sure…" He replied slowly, ignoring the 'tch' sound she made at his side. "Most of the ones I'm familiar with you can't even see anymore. But maybe… Epona?"

He lifted a hand to point at it, though he was certain she didn't need his help in finding it. If there was one thing you could trust a sailor to know, it was stars. Well, that and maybe knots.

She shuffled in closer regardless, their heads side-by-side as they gazed up at the constellation of the legendary horse. Whatever a horse was.

"How about you?" Link asked, not giving her a chance to tease him for his choice; knowing her, he could have picked any constellation in the sky and she still would have mocked him.

Instead, she settled back with a sigh and said, gazing skyward, "Y'know… I don't think I have one."

A moment of quiet followed her answer, and Link thought the topic had been summarily dropped when she caught him off-guard by continuing, her voice uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn, "My mother used to love the stars. Every night before I went to bed, she would point out her favorite constellations and tell me their stories. Volvagia, the Serpent of Fire; the Girl Who Became a Seagull; The Windmill of Storms. She had so many stories… and now that she's gone, I've forgotten almost all of them…"

Link remained quiet, too afraid to speak. Tetra never talked about her mother, ever. A year had passed since he joined her crew, and still Link knew nothing about her other than that she was the previous captain and that Tetra had taken over for her when she died. Not even the crew talked about her, and Link had been too nervous to bring her up in case the subject was particularly touchy.

Tetra sighed, toying absently with a strand of her hair, letting it wind around and around her finger. "But you know, I still remember her favorite constellation… it's right there."

She pointed upwards almost exactly overhead.

"The Silent Princess." Tetra's voice sounded sour in Link's ears. "Of course. And wouldn't you know it, of all the stars to still be visible, they had to be those ones."

It was a simple constellation; a handful of stars set in such a way that the vaguely resembled a woman bent over in prayer or supplication. As the story went, it was the Princess of Destiny, the one who had worked with the Hero of Time and the Ancient Sages to seal Ganondorf away. Why she was called 'Silent' was anyone's guess, though it seemed like a weird description when the current incarnation of the princess was arguably the loudest person Link had ever met.

Tetra's countenance had darkened considerably. Link wasn't sure what the problem was. On the one hand, it probably had something to do with her mom, some aspect of their relationship that he just wasn't yet informed of… but on the other hand, it probably also had something to do with the princess herself. Though she'd taken up the duty of founding a new Hyrule with complete dedication, she still reacted poorly to people bringing up her secret identity. He wasn't sure why, but he knew enough not to ask. If she ever wanted to talk about it, he'd be there.

So instead of trying to pry his way into her personal life, he decided to flip the conversation around.

"You know," he began, vying for a light, casual tone, "if we're going to start a new Hyrule, we're going to need some new legends of our own…"

She shot him a confused look, and he grinned, waggling his eyebrows for full effect.

"Wanna make some up?"

She let out a reluctant laugh.

"What are you, stupid? You can't just make up legends out of the blue- "

"Says who?" he shot back, suddenly challenged. "How do you know that's not how they did it back in the day?"

"Because that's completely idiotic!"

"Look, I'll do it right now!" As though to demonstrate, he leaned in close to her again and raised his hand, wiggling his finger around as though drawing a shape in the stars. "There, a brand-new constellation for a brand new Hyrule: Tetra, Queen of the Pirates."

Tetra let out a snort of laughter and elbowed him painfully in the ribs.

"Oh, _gods_ no! Not unless you give me something intimidating, like a sword or- "

"Tetra, please. Your constellation is only your sword."

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" She replied, one-eye closed, a coy smirk on her lips. "Fine then! Right there is your constellation: Link, the Ignoramus. And it's just a picture of your stupid hat!"

"Hey! Leave my hat out of this, it's done nothing wrong!"

Just like that, the previous melancholy was dissipated by a wave of childish laughter and, though neither would admit it aloud, immature flirting as the two desperately sought to outdo the other in their newfound game of 'who could come up with the stupidest constellation?'.

Submissions included normal things, like Aryll's telescope and the Wind Waker, to more bizarre creations like 'The Towering Tingle Totem', 'Frog Cyclone', or 'Moe the Moblin of Love'. The one that left Tetra clutching at her sides, unable to breathe, was 'Niko, Swabbie of Legend' holding aloft the Master Mop and ready to face down any mold… though whether any of these were actually funny or if the two were simply overcome by exhaustion was anyone's guess.

At some point, the two had collapsed into each other, Tetra's head on Link's shoulder, as they struggled to quell their giggles and remember that they were a vicious pirate captain and legendary hero, not just a pair of immature teenagers.

Finally, after some time had passed and they'd both calmed down, when the mood was soft and warm and peaceful, Tetra raised her hand once more to point up into the sky and murmured, just barely loud enough for Link to hear, "And there… right there… will be 'The King of Red Lions'. Pointing the way home to any future Hyruleans who, like their ancestors, find themselves lost at sea."

Something caught itself in Link's throat as the mood whiplashed again, and he turned his head down to glance at her only to find her gaze locked on his. Something somber stole over them, something quiet that passed between their eyes, not needing words. Yet… the previous happiness was there too, mixed right in with it. It was bittersweet and real, just like joining her crew had been, leaving everything behind to start something new.

Somehow, he got the feeling that of all the constellations they had made up that night, her last would be the one to actually stick.

"Thanks." She whispered quietly, breaking the silence.

Link furrowed his brow, not understanding, and she rolled her eyes before explaining.

"For coming with me. You had a life back in Outset; friends, a family who loves you, a place you belong. You didn't have to come along- "

"Tetra," Link tried to interrupt, but she slapped her hand over his mouth, looking suddenly fierce and determined.

"No. Shut up and let me say this, 'cause I don't think I'll be able to get it out when I'm fully awake."

Her fingers were clamped so tightly over his lips that it actually kind of hurt. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost have said she was afraid.

Instead, he nodded quickly to show her that he wasn't going to interrupt again, and because when she got that look in her eye she sort of scared him, and she released her death-grip on his lips with a curt nod.

"Good." She said in her authoritative captain voice, and then a moment later went straight back to looking unsure. "It's just… I know what the King said. And I know he said it to us both, and you probably feel like you owe him a lot. But… I'm the princess, Link, not you, so the duty falls to me alone. If, when we finally get there, you want to go back home… I won't stop you. You've done enough for me. For all of us."

She crossed her arms and looked away, blowing a strand of hair out of her face with an irritated huff. It was all he could do to gape at her in astonishment. Go home? She thought he wanted to return to Outset?

"Well, sure." He replied, noting the way her shoulders stiffened as she avoided his gaze. "I would like to go back once we find New Hyrule… but not to stay. I'd want to go back to spread the news, to tell everyone who wants to come where to find us, and to pick up my sister and grandmother and carry them back with me.

"I get what you're trying to say," he added, as Tetra lifted her eyes to meet his, her expression suddenly unreadable in the darkness, "but please don't misunderstand why I came along with you. I mean I'm doing it for the King, yeah, and for Hyrule, but… I mean, that isn't the only reason."

He wasn't certain how long they sat there, staring at each other. The sky overhead was beginning to brighten almost imperceptively. A new day would be upon them soon.

Something flickered in the back of Tetra's eyes, some emotion that Link didn't recognize and couldn't exactly define, but a moment later she was letting out one of her trademark scoffs as she pulled away.

"Good." She grumped, wrestling her cushion into a more comfortable shape as she turned her back to him, "Just had to make sure. I can't have a member of my crew moping around and getting homesick, it's bad for morale. Now shut up, will ya? I came up here to sleep and nothing else."

"Of course." Link replied, hiding his amusement, his tone mild and seemingly contrite. "Apologies, Captain."

Nothing else was shared between them that night. Tetra remained where she was, lying on her side, facing away from him as Link took one last peek at the horizon to make sure there really was nothing up ahead of them before settling down at her side, his gaze returning to the stars. It took him a moment, but he managed to pick out the constellation Tetra had named The King of Red Lions, and a wistful smile stole over his face.

Slowly, his exhaustion won over him, and in the quiet of the early morning hours, to the sound of the wind, the creaking of aged wood, and his captain's soporific breathing, the ship rocked him gently to sleep.

He awoke to shouts from below for breakfast, the piercing rays of the morning sun stabbing into his eyes. Delirious, Link struggled to push himself upright in spite of the endless teetering of the ship, his every joint stiff and crying out in agony, only to find an unusual weight pressing down on his chest.

Blinking groggily, he glanced down and found his vision obscured by a mess of tangled blonde hair.

Memories from last night played through his mind and he grimaced, regretting the lack of sleep he'd received and hoping that he'd be allowed a few hours in a hammock below deck after breakfast. They must have shifted about while sleeping, and the ceaseless rocking of the boat had caused her head to fall onto his chest…

His left arm was numb, but he ignored it, instead using his right hand to brush her hair away from her face as he tried to wake her without startling her, lest he wind up with a fist to his jaw for his troubles.

Instead, he found himself pausing, momentarily captivated by the rare look of blissful peace on her face, the slight upward quirk of her lips, and the way she was boorishly drooling on his shirt. His memory flashed back to the way she'd looked last night as she climbed the ladder to reach him, then to the way she'd looked when she'd picked up his sword, ready to fight as Hyrule drowned all around them, and the way she'd looked when she'd saved him from Ganondorf in the Forsaken Fortress, and the way she'd looked when she'd fallen from the sky, forever changing his life.

In that moment, he felt his life changing again. His emotions churned, between dread and excitement and fear and joy and resignation, and all at once he felt more empathetic towards the surly Gonzo than he ever had before.

For Hyrule, he had said, when he'd explained last night why he'd given up everything to sail across the world with her. And in a way, that was right. He was doing this for Hyrule, for his duty to the world and his promise to the king who had given so much for him. But in a way, he had also been wrong.

Gently, ignoring the pins and needles that stabbed their way through his mostly-deadened limb, Link extracted his left arm from under Tetra's torso and cautiously wrapped it around her shoulders, lightly shaking her until she frowned, her delicate bubble of sleep popped, her brows knitting together in consternation as her eyes, blue as the oceans upon which they sailed, slowly fluttered open to greet the new day.

He had left it all for her.

* * *

 _So there you go. I just... wanted to post this because... I wanted to. I dunno, after writing a whole story about BotW, I wanted to write something about Tetra, who is like... BotW Zelda's polar opposite. So I took the idea I had jotted down from 'Timeline' and ran with it._

 _Like I said, I have other chapters from that story partially written; two for OoT (one from Zelda's pov from the AT ending, and one from Link's pov post-MM), one for TP, and one for SS. I also had sort-of ideas for ALttP and PH, which may one day be written, and then two other stories ('It Takes A Village' from BotW which is also partially written, and a mini-story set post-ST) that I might just fold into this 'Timeline' sub-series just because. I dunno, man. I'm mainly posting this on a whim, because I'm sad that I don't post more. I guess I'll leave it up to feedback to let me know if I should keep this up._

 _Well, I've put off my homework for long enough. Leave me a review and tell me what you think! I still want to write more Tetra, as this didn't quite scratch my itch, but we'll just have to see. And oh, the next entry (going by state of completion) would be the post-MM story. If... anyone cares._

 _I feel like I'm rambling. I should stop._

 _Keep it Zesty._

 _ZC_


End file.
